This invention relates to equipment for handling sheet materials, such as, metal sheets which are delivered to the equipment by shearing mechanism in a rolling mill web or strip fabricating operation, or from another supply source, and is more particularly concerned with improvements in a machine which enables an operator to pile the sheets in single or multiple areas.
In rolling mill metal fabricating operations where the finished product coming off the mill rolls is a relatively long metal strip, or web, which is cut into sections to form sheets of the desired length and/or configuration, it is generally desirable to pile the metal sheets on pallets for removal from the line or for supplying further equipment performing other processing operations. Various types of apparatus for receiving the cut or sheared off sheets have been developed and used with varying degrees of success. Where the sheets are cut or sheared to uniform length and rectangular configuration, the piling operation may be accomplished by single pile forming machines of several designs some of which may include sheet lapping arrangements designed to accommodate high speed rolling operations without requiring excessive speed for the piling machine conveyor or conveyors, that is, a speed which will result in attendant wear and control problems and risk of damage to the sheets. Also, machines have been provided for piling sheets which have been cut in odd sizes and cannot be conveniently piled in single piling areas, so that, the need arises, for example, to provide a piling machine which will pile alternate sheets in two separate piles. One such machine which will accomplish satisfactory dual piling of odd shaped sheets, such as those delivered from an oscillating shear in a web or strip fabricating line, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,055,659, granted Sept. 25, 1962 to Dario Buccicone. In that machine and others of a similar character, special conveyor arrangements are provided for receiving the sheets from the shear and for conveying them to an overhead magnetic conveyor which is of a length to extend over one or more piling areas and which has associated end stop and side guide mechanisms at each piling area for arresting the advance of the sheets and guiding them into a pile on a pile accommodating or accumulating lift structure from which the pile of sheets may be readily removed. Another metal sheet piling machine of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,369,675, granted Feb. 20, 1968, to Dario Buccicone, which employs an overhead magnetic conveyor mounted on upright end frames so as to span dual piling areas in which are mounted scissors-type lift mechanisms carrying pile accommodating platforms, with the latter being driven by power operated vertical screws disposed in upright frames forming part of the end frames. In this machine, sheet end stop and side guide mechanisms are mounted on overhead framing extending, along with the overhead magnetic conveyor, between vertical support frames at opposite ends of the machine.
In these and other magnetic piling machines the advance and deposit of the sheets in the piling area is controlled by operation of the magnets in the conveyor which extends over the piling box. The sheets may be released by the magnetic conveyor so as to drop evenly onto the pile in an almost vertical path and the risk of damage to the preceeding sheet by scratching or gouging contact with the edges of the falling sheet is reduced to a minimum. These machines will operate with a high degree of efficiency to pile sheets in a single pile or double pile arrangement. However, they require relatively precise positioning of the magnets in the overhead conveyor and also control arrangements for operating the magnets. These and other factors greatly increase the cost of fabrication and operation of the machines. In addition these machines are normally built for piling in a relatively small number of areas due to practical limitations, particularly with respect to the length of the overhead magnetic conveyor. While a number of these machines may be placed in line and sheets transferred or advanced to the respective piling areas by suitable conveyors such multiple piling arrangements generally increase the cost of the equipment and its operation to an undesirable extent, particularly, when precise piling and maximum care in the handling or treatment of the sheets is not a requirement.
A lift mechanism or hoist of the scissors-type which is adapted for use in the foregoing and other sheet piling operations of a similar character is disclosed, also, in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,727,780, granted Apr. 17, 1973, in which the lift platform is raised and lowered by operation of a single power driven screw mounted in a vertically disposed portion of the frame structure which supports the lift platform and guides it in its vertical path.
Experience with the apparatus previously employed for multiple piling of metal sheet products, with or without classifying capability, has indicated a need for apparatus for such purpose which is more versatile in use and at the same time is more economical to construct and operate. Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved metal sheet piling apparatus which is capable of ready extension by addition of piling units so as to provide for multiple piles, which has classifying capability and which may be constructed with greater economy than apparatus heretofore employed for similar purposes.
A more specific object of the invention is to provide a piling machine for metal sheets which may be economically constructed and which may be readily extended to increase the number of separate piling areas in a simple and convenient manner.
A further object of the invention is to provide a pile forming machine for handling metal sheets which are supplied from a sheet rolling mill line, or the like, wherein the machine may be readily adjusted for a desired number of piles by adding or subtracting pile forming units, of relatively economical construction, with associated classifying mechanism, and enabling sheets having differing configuration or other characteristics to be directed into the desired number of different piles.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a metal sheet piling machine or apparatus having one or more piling areas wherein a pile supporting platform or hoist mechanism together with a mechanism for arresting the forward travel of the sheets and for guiding the arrested sheets into a pile on the platform is mounted on a common support frame and disposed in each of the respective piling areas.
Apparatus capable of achieving these and other objects and advantages is disclosed and claimed herein which is characterized by means for accumulating sheets in a pile, in one or more piling areas, on a pile receiving means which is mounted on a support frame having a vertically disposed portion for guiding the pile receiving means in a vertical path as it is moved in such path by associated drive means and the sheets are deposited thereon, and associated mechanism mounted on the support frame for arresting the forward movement of the sheets and for guiding the sheets into pile forming relation on the pile receiving means.
The invention will be best understood by reference to the following description of a preferred embodiment of a piling machine which incorporates therein the principle features of the invention and which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein the same elements are identified in the several views by the same numerals.